


Reprieve

by 0bviousLeigh



Series: Yuma is a Girl [31]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: First Date, Gender or Sex Swap, Labyrinth References, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-03 23:16:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12758184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0bviousLeigh/pseuds/0bviousLeigh
Summary: Yuma’s wearing the dress she wore to the WDC ball, but this time she’s wearing heels, so it takes all her concentration not to trip. She steps up to the podium and looks out at the people that are staring at her.





	Reprieve

**Author's Note:**

> This is not an episode rewrite, not really. Instead it's in place of 72-73, because there's no way my Yuma would use her wish to duel Kite.

“And then I used my beefed-up Hope Ray to totally kick the Barian’s ass, and it left Faker alone, and then Orbital flew the four of us out of there, and then Droite and Gauche scooped us up with the helicopter, and now here we are!” Yuma finishes. She grabs the cup of water off her bedside table and downs it. “Whew, that was a long story,” she mutters.

Akari purses her lips. “You honestly expect me to believe that?” She asks.

Well, considering that Yuma left out Astral, Zexal, the power of the Numbers, and Astral world avoiding destruction by a canon…yeah, the rest is totally believable.

“It’s true!” Kotori insists, “I saw everything!”

“I can get Kite, Ryoga, and Faker in here if you don’t believe me,” Yuma says with a shrug. Though, she has no idea where any of them are, they all got separated after they got to the hospital. Yuma’s being treated for minor injuries and dehydration, and she’s pretty sure Kite’s in the cardiac ward and Ryoga is in surgery, but she’s got no way to know for sure—Akari confiscated Yuma’s phone.

“I believe Yuma and Kotori!” Tokunosuke says, raising his hand.

Akari glares at him and he wilts, putting his hand down. Tetsuo, Cathy, and Takashi look away as well.

“Well I’m glad you believe me, Tokunosuke,” Yuma says, “And I bet grandma will believe me. Why would I lie?”

Akari glowers. “Okay, let’s say this is true. It still makes no sense that—”

“Faker would sell his soul to an alien to heal his son?” Yuma offers. “I know, I called him out on that.”

“No, Yuma,” Akari says, “Heartland disappeared! Where is his body?”

Oh yeah, Yuma didn’t tell her sister about the hole to certain damnation either, just that Heartland fell into a trash chute. “Hey, I wasn’t there for that!” Yuma says, “I’m just repeating what I was told.”

Kotori flounders. “I mean, he did fall into a trash chute,” she says nervously, “Maybe…his body got crushed and incinerated?”

“We could only be so lucky,” Yuma says. “Maybe he escaped and went on the run. Does it matter either way? His reputation is destroyed—I saw your article, it was very well written.”

Akari looks momentarily flattered. “Yeah, my publisher was in shock, he didn’t even try to yell at me for grammar and—hang on, we were talking about you! Even if all that is true, you’re still grounded!”

“For what?!” Yuma demands.

“Putting yourself in danger like that!” Akari says. “You went into a collapsing building, you put your life on the line! You’re in the hospital!”

There’s a knock on the door and a doctor enters. “Is this a bad time?” He asks.

“No,” says Yuma, before her sister can say otherwise, “What’s up, doc?”

The doctor smiles at her. “Your blood work came back, and everything looks good. I strongly recommend you take it easy for a few days, and we’re going to give you a tetanus booster just to be on the safe side, but you should recover quickly.”

Yuma grins. “See, Akari? I’m fine! Now can I have my phone back? I wanna go see Hart!”

Akari hesitates, and Yuma continues, “Not like I can’t just have Kotori text Kite for me anyway.”

Akari throws her hands up. “Ugh, fine! But I’m taking your skateboard for a week, you’re banged up enough as it is.”

Like Yuma cares about the stinking board. She texts Kite and Ryoga as she gets her booster shot, and by the time the nurses give her the okay to go, Kite texts her back with a room number.

“Y’all coming?” Yuma asks her friends.

“It’s probably for the best we not overwhelm Hart,” Kotori says. “And as for me, I need a nap.”

Yuma laughs. “Okay, I’ll talk to you guys later.”

They say their goodbyes, and Yuma takes off. Kite didn’t tell her if it was his room number or Hart’s that he was texting her, but it turns out, it’s both.

“You get to be together?” Yuma asks as she enters the room.

Hart beams at her—his and Kite’s beds are pushed up next to each other, and Faker is sitting beside Hart’s bed. “Papa insisted!” He says.

Yuma glances at Faker. She has to admit, he’s not that scary looking right now. He looks like an ordinary man—skinny, tired, and most importantly, ashamed of himself.

Kite pushes himself up, wincing a little. “What’s your damage?” He asks Yuma.

“Got a tetanus shot,” she says, pointing to her arm, “And I can’t go to school anymore, I’m highly allergic.”

Hart giggles. “Did the doctor really say that?”

Yuma nods. “Yeah, the only cure is Labyrinth. I gotta watch it 24/7.”

“You have no power over me!” Hart cries.

Kite grins tiredly. “He’s going to say that to get out of everything, you know.”

“Good,” Yuma says, “That’s exactly what I did when I was a kid.”

Faker clears his throat. Yuma folds her arms and waits.

“I don’t know what to say to you,” Faker says, “You’ve been such a hero, for my sons and myself. You…are truly an extraordinary young lady, and I am sorry for what I put you through.”

Yuma sits on Kite’s bed. “What happened to my father?” She asks.

“I don’t know,” Faker says. “I wouldn’t even know how to begin to find out where he is.”

“And my mother?” Yuma asks,

Faker winces. “I…I don’t know that either. Mirai never came to me, but I know your father did tell her where we were going.”

“She probably went after him,” Yuma mutters. She sighs. “Alright, well, I suppose there’s not much I can do.” She punches Kite in the shoulder, albeit gently. “That’s his job now.”

“Ow, what the heck?” Kite grumbles.

“Well, you’re not hunting numbers anymore, and you’re not doing anything that can hurt your heart further, you giant loser,” She says, gesturing to the equipment around Kite’s bed, “So you’re on parallel world duty. We gotta figure out where my dad and Tron went when they vanished. It’s for science.”

“Yeah but who made you the boss?” Kite asks.

“Um, I’m the leader of this duel gang, remember?” Yuma asks.

“Ugh, that’s over with,” Kite says, rolling his eyes. “We’re not in a gang anymore.”

Yuma laughs and pats his cheek. “Oh honey, you’re in the gang until I say you’re not in the gang.”

“You should do it, nii-sama,” Hart says. “You owe Yuma, too.”

“Yeah, and speaking of,” Yuma says, “Dr. Faker, I know now isn’t an ideal time, so here’s what I’m going to do, I’ll give you my phone number, and you call me when you’re ready to talk lawyers.”

Faker nods. “Yes, I’ll be sure to do that.”

Yuma scribbles her phone number on a piece of paper for him, and then her phone rings with a text from Ryoga. Yuma reads it and leaps to her feet. “This has been fun but I gotta go, my friend is out of a coma!”

 

* * *

 

 

Yuma walks to the long-term care facility. She takes her time, skipping, spinning, and stopping to smell the flowers. Why rush? It’s only fair to give Ryoga time with Rio, and Rio will still be there in an hour.

“You’ve done so well, Yuma,” Astral says.

“Why, thank you,” Yuma says. “How are you feeling after all that nonsense, by the way?”

“Tired,” Astral says, “And it will take me a while to go through the numbers we gained today.”

“No rush,” Yuma says with a shrug. “We both need a vacation after all.”

Astral smiles. “Will you tell Rio about me?”

“Of course!” Yuma says, “You’re my boyfriend, after all.”

Astral chuckles. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

When Yuma walks into the facility, she’s recognized immediately. One of the employees actually hugs her and says that everyone is thrilled with Rio’s progress. Yuma can hardly contain her excitement, and she dances around the elevator as it takes her to Rio’s floor. She calms down before she goes into the room, she has to, she has no idea what condition Rio or Ryoga are in.

Yuma knocks on the door and gently pushes it open. Rio is sitting up, but she’s leaning against Ryoga’s chest as he sits behind her. Her eyes are still covered, but she turns toward the door.

“Yuma?” She calls softly.

Yuma starts crying—it’s been so long since she last heard her best friend’s voice.

“Hi, Rio,” she says, her voice breaking.

Rio grins. “Call me Blind Mag.”

Yuma laughs and sobs at the same time. “Are you…are you really…?”

“No,” Ryoga says, rolling his eyes, “She’s being a nerd.”

Rio laughs, and Yuma staggers to the bed and collapses on it, taking Rio’s hands. “I missed you so much,” Yuma sobs, “You giant nerd.”

Rio feels her way up Yuma’s arms and hugs her. “Sorry if I scared you just then. I can kind of see,” she says gesturing to her eyes, “Just shadows right now, but the doctor says that’s normal, and my vision should get better soon. My eyes are covered because, you know, light and all that.”

Yuma leans back and wipes her cheeks. “Good,” she says. “Good, I’m…I’m so glad you’re going to be okay. Oh Rio, you have no idea how happy I am that you’re alright!”

Rio pulls Yuma in for another hug. “Ryoga was just telling me some of what I missed. You both joined duel gangs? Honestly, I can’t leave you two alone. And right now he’s got stitches in his abdomen, so I can’t elbow him, but you!” She leans back and socks Yuma on the arm. “You’re dating my brother?! And a ghost?! Yuma, you gotta fill me in!”

Yuma laughs. She takes the key off of her neck and puts it in Rio’s hand. “I have so much to tell you.”

 

* * *

 

 

The lawyer that Faker hooked her up with is a middle-aged woman named Mori Nagisa. She sounds imposing, and looks strict from the pictures Yuma found of her online, but when Yuma goes to her office, accompanied by her sister because Akari has to be involved in everything, she’s greeted warmly by Mori-san.

“I’ve read quite a lot about you, Yuma,” she says as she welcomes Yuma in. “You’re quite the accomplished young lady.”

“Thanks,” Yuma says. “I read about you, too. Did you really get the largest settlement in Japan’s history?”

Akari looks mortified at Yuma, but Mori-san laughs. “I did! So tell me what can I do for you?”

Yuma takes a seat. “Well, I want to sue some people. Including, oddly enough, the guy who’s paying you to help me, and the city of Heartland, and the Arclight family. I also want to file a few restraining orders. I have evidence…” she shows Mori-san the pictures from the WDC, medical records of her injuries, and Rio’s medical records.

“Who is this young lady?” Mori-san asks, looking at Rio.

“My best friend,” Yuma says, “I’m here on her behalf, too.”

Mori-san looks a little puzzled, but intrigued. “Well, you have my attention, Yuma. Tell me more.”

Yuma smiles at her. “Some of it is kind of unbelievable, but the people involved are all likely to back up my accusations, even the ones against them. Maybe that’s the most unbelievable part of it.”

 

* * *

 

The doorbell rings and Yuma springs to answer it. She knows who it’s going to be, anyway.

“Rio, Ryoga!”

Rio grins and gives Yuma a hug. “I missed you!” She says, though it’s only been a day since they last saw each other. Then she gasps, “Akari, I missed you too! And Haru!”

Akari and grandma hug Rio, and Akari even gets misty-eyed.

“Look at you,” she says tearfully, “I remember chasing you around this house trying to get you to go to bed, and now you’re a beautiful young woman…my god, I feel old.”

“That’s because you are old,” Yuma says.

Akari tugs on Yuma’s hair. “Brat.”

Rio laughs. “Oh, I really missed you two.”

Yuma introduces Rio to Lillybot, and Ryoga helps grandma and Akari set the table for lunch. Rio looks tired, so Yuma insists that she sit and have some tea.

“How’s physical therapy?” Yuma asks her.

“Kicking my butt,” Rio says honestly, “But that means it’s working. The doctors say they’re proud of me.”

“It’s true,” Ryoga says proudly, “She’s surpassed all expectations.”

“But wasn’t that expected?” Rio says smugly.

Ryoga gives her a quick hug, and Yuma takes her hand. “Indeed, as expected of our Rio.”

After lunch Yuma, Rio, and Ryoga head to Yuma’s room. Rio and Yuma sit on Yuma’s bed, and Ryoga watches from the floor as Yuma prepares to show Rio the Numbers.

“Astral, you ready?” Yuma asks, looking down at the Key.

Astral materializes, and Rio covers her mouth. “Oh, my god!”

Yuma, Astral, and Ryoga all stare at her.

“You can see him?” Yuma and Ryoga ask.

“You can see me?” Astral asks.

Rio lowers her hand. “Oh, my,” she says, “Yuma was right, you are beautiful.” She smiles and holds out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

But like Ryoga, Rio can’t touch Astral. Still, the fact that she can see him…

“How?” Yuma wonders.

Astral looks thoughtful. “Well, Rio-san was affected by Tron’s powers, which came from the space between dimensions…Ryoga and Kite were confronted by the same power, and they can see me.”

Rio shrugs. “I may not know why, but I’m glad I can see you. You’re so important to Yuma, and I would like very much to be your friend, Astral-san.”

Astral smiles. “Truly, the feeling is mutual. Please, call me Astral.”

Rio looks delighted. “Then please, call me Rio.”

Yuma doesn’t think she could possibly be happier, but then without thinking, she offers Astral a piece of candy as the four of them talk, and Astral takes it and is able to eat it.

“Oh, wow!” Yuma cries, “So you can’t touch people that aren’t me, but you can indeed eat in the presence of others. This opens up so many opportunities! Astral, we’re going on a date!”

 

* * *

 

Yuma stares down at the cheque in her hands. “What the hell?!” She demands.

Dr. Faker frowns. “Is it not enough?”

“It’s a lot more than Mori-san is charging me,” she says.

Faker nods. “That’s because I had a lot of money on the side, to fund my plans to destroy Astral world. I had backup plans, backup funds, and so on. I’ll be donating a lot of that money, and using more on my sons, but there’s plenty for you, as well.”

“Obscene,” Yuma says.

“I’m sure you can think of some way to use it,” Faker tells her.

And Yuma can, indeed, think of a great way to spend the money Faker has given her.

Her first stop is the biggest Nike outlet in Japan. She gets sweatpants, hoodies, leggings, shirts, sports bras, and of course, shoes. So many shoes that the store gives her free stuff, and the employees help her carry her bags to the car.

“For you,” Yuma tells her shell-shocked sister as she hands her an awesome hoodie. Akari left her alone to shop, but has come back to pick her up.

“Yuma, how much did you buy?” Akari asks.

“It’s not all for me,” Yuma assures, “I even got a t-shirt for grandma, and most of the shoes are for my friends.”

“How many is most?” Akari asks, looking at the boxes of shoes.

Yuma purses her lips. “Maybe…half?”

“So half are for you,” Akari confirms.

“Hey, I wear shoes every day!” Yuma reasons.

Akari sighs. “You know, you really should invest some of that money into a college fund.”

“Oh no,” Yuma says, “Faker will be paying for that, too.”

Akari snorts. “You thought of everything, didn’t you?”

“Well, mom and dad should have paid for it,” Yuma says, “And he took them away from me, so it only makes sense that he fill in their role. You think I was going to allow that burden to be put on you? Plus, who knows what shape mom and dad will be in if they come back before I go to college, maybe they won’t wat to…” Yuma suddenly realizes that Akari is crying. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Akari says quickly, wiping her eyes. “It’s just…Yuma, did you know about grandma’s plan?”

Yuma gulps. “The one where she was going to will her life insurance money to you to pay for my college tuition, and tell you to keep her ashes in a pine box? Or take a loan out against her insurance in case she didn’t die before I went to college? Yeah, I knew.”

Yuma and Akari end up going into the car so they can cry without being seen.

“That was pretty fucked up,” Yuma manages to say after a while. “That grandma even thought of something like that.”

“Well, mom and dad did have money set aside for you,” Akari says, “But obviously, they thought they could add more to it before you went to college. And they have life insurance, but we’ll have to have them declared legally dead to get it, and even then, there’s no body, so…”

They cry some more after that. It’s horrible, thinking about all the things they’ve lost, but both of them are relieved as well. Whoever said money doesn’t buy happiness never laid awake at night, wondering how to pay for school and give a family member a proper burial at the same time.

 

* * *

 

 

After her Nike shopping spree, Yuma has one more thing that she really, really wants to do. She manages to tear Ryoga away from Rio for a day, and takes him on a date. Well, him and Astral.  Yuma books a private room in a nice restaurant, one that will allow them to take their time, eat as much as they want, and give them privacy besides.

The table has a grill so that they can barbeque their own food, so of course, that’s where they start.

“So, Astral,” Yuma says, turning the menu towards him, “What looks good?”

Astral looks floored. “I…can’t possibly choose.”

So Yuma and Ryoga make the choices for him. Yuma has to bite her lip so she won’t laugh at Astral’s expression as the food comes in. The waitress brings the meat in raw, on platters, and gets it started on the grill, after which Ryoga takes over, and in the meantime, Yuma feeds Astral bites from the side dishes. There’s vegetables, tofu, dipping sauces, and so much more. When the meat is cooked, Yuma feeds herself first, then Astral. it’s delicious, of course, and Astral can’t get enough.

“Slow down,” Ryoga laughs as Astral whines at Yuma to feed him again, “There’s more coming.”

Ryoga and Yuma take turns feeding themselves and Astral. it’s odd to Yuma that Astral can’t simply pick the food up with his own fingers and put it in his mouth, and instead he must be given the food, but it’s sweet to watch Ryoga hold out pieces of sushi and servings of noodles for Astral to gobble up. Astral tries everything, but shows preference right away. He likes beef, but prefers chicken. He doesn’t like tuna or squid, but can’t get enough of shrimp. When he finally gets noodles into his mouth he finds them slimy and unenjoyable, but he likes the noodle broth. Ryoga gives Astral a sip of his soda, and Astral almost spits it back out.

“Oh!” He cries once he’s swallowed the soda, “That was…mobile! It…it popped in my mouth!”

Yuma and Ryoga laugh. “But was it good?” Ryoga asks.

Astral looks thoughtful. “It’s…sweet. I’m not sure if I like it.”

“More for me,” Yuma says happily.

Once the trio have eaten more than enough to keep them full for the rest of the day, it’s time for the second half of their date. Yuma and Ryoga walk hand in hand to the aquarium, with Astral floating above them. Ryoga pays for the tickets before Yuma can even get her wallet out, and she’ll never forgive him for it.

“That’s some heteronormative crap,” she tells him.

“Well if I had let you pay, you would have bought three tickets,” Ryoga says, smirking at her, “And our third party is currently invisible, so what would you have done then?”

Yuma purses her lips. “Hmm…I suppose I would have blamed it on pregnancy hormones.”

Ryoga laughs so hard he chokes on his own spit, and Yuma laughs with him.

“Are you physically capable of carrying a fetus?” Astral asks Yuma.

Yuma gasps and swats at the air around her head. “Mosquitos!” She shrieks, flapping her hands at Astral. “Pesky, nosey mosquitos!”

Astral laughs, and Ryoga wraps his arms around Yuma’s back and leads her along. “Let’s go see some otters.”

Yuma walks with her head resting on Ryoga’s shoulder and her arm around his waist. Together, she and Ryoga watch the otters play, the penguins swim, and sea lions bask before venturing inside to view the fish tanks. There are huge tanks filled with sea horses and tropical fish. Astral is delighted by the creatures, and Yuma and Ryoga read out the names of the fish and identify them for him, and they identify the corals for Astral as well. Yuma takes pictures of the fish as they swim in and out of the plants and coral. The trio see jelly fish, seahorses, eels, and they soon come upon a touch tank. It’s getting late in the day, and there’s no kids around the touch tank. Ryoga and Yuma are able to hold starfish and horseshoe crabs. Astral flees when the staff woman at the touch tanks turns a horseshoe crab over so Ryoga and Yuma can see its’ many legs. They catch up to Astral outside the aquarium’s main attraction.

“It looked like an alien,” Astral says, hugging himself.

“You’re an alien,” Yuma says. “And much more beautiful than a horseshoe crab, not to mention a being that a horseshoe crab couldn’t harm even if it wanted to.”

“I suppose,” Astral says.

The three of them head inside to see Heartland Aquarium’s most prized residents—several whale sharks.

“Oh,” Yuma gasps as they enter the building, “Look at them!”

The whale sharks are visible from the moment they walk inside. Huge, graceful, and imposing. Yuma rushes ahead and presses against the glass, looking up at two of the whales as they swim past. They are beautiful and mesmerizing.

Ryoga sidles up behind Yuma and rests his chin on her shoulder. “Amazing,” he says.

Yuma looks up at Astral—he’s near the top of the glass, looking down at the whales. Yuma lets him take in the sight on his own. She and Ryoga stand at the glass for a few more minutes before heading back to the bleachers. They go midway up and sit so they can watch the whale sharks, fish, and sting rays swim by.

“Who gave you the name ‘Shark?’” Yuma asks.

“I did,” Ryoga answers. “Rikuo didn’t care enough to give everyone a nickname.”

Yuma leans her head on his shoulder once more. “Sorry about the stuff I said to you. About you being cold and all that.”

“Well, I did take your key,” Ryoga says.

“Yeah, but sharks aren’t evil, or cold,” Yuma says. “Just like you weren’t.”

Ryoga turns his head and kisses Yuma’s forehead. “You’ve long been forgiven. I’m sorry, too.”

Yuma takes hold of his hand and squeezes gently. “You’ve long been forgiven as well.”

Briefly, the two sit in silence. Then Yuma starts humming.

“Is that As the World Falls Down?” Ryoga asks crossly.

Yuma grins at him. “Would you rather I hum Magic Dance?”

Ryoga sighs but says, “Do whatever you want, babe.”

Yuma, Ryoga, and Astral stay with the whale sharks until just before the aquarium closes, and then they make their way home. Ryoga leaves Yuma on her doorstep and kisses her goodbye, and he winks at Astral.

“Take care of her,” Ryoga tells him as he walks away.

Astral floats down to Yuma’s side and smiles at her. “Oh, I think it’s quite the opposite,” he says quietly.

They head inside and Yuma goes to her room to change. Astral turns his back to give Yuma privacy, but he continues to talk to her.

“Thank you for today,” he says. “It was…wonderful.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Yuma agrees. “Our first date. Yours, mine, and Ryoga’s.”

Astral laughs. “And you said dating more than one person wouldn’t work out. I think it’s going just fine.”

Yuma finishes changing and pokes Astral’s leg as she walks by him. “Yes, yes, you were right and I was wrong—dating more than one person can work out.”

Lucky for her, Astral isn’t much of a gloater.

 

* * *

 

 

Yuma meets her friends at the outdoor fountain in front of the shopping mall. She’s decked out, head to toe, in Nike gear, and she’s got shopping bags with even more Nike gear.

“Yo,” Yuma says, nodding at her friends. “I got you presents.”

“Is that why you asked my foot size?” Takashi asks.

“I asked everyone,” Yuma says. She passes out the boxes. “Now treat these shoes nicely, they’re expensive.”

Everyone gasps as they open the boxes.

“Wow, Yuma!” Tetsuo says.

“Oh, I love them!” Cathy squeals.

Yuma sits next to Kotori. “And you, my dear,” she says as she reaches deep into a bag, “Get something extra.” She hands Kotori a box from a high-end jewelry store, and Kotori’s jaw drops as she opens it and looks at the glittering key-shaped pendant.

“An Empress’ Key. Thanks for all your help,” Yuma says as she fastens the chain around Kotori’s neck.

Kotori looks close to tears. “Yuma…I don’t know what to say.”

“I do,” Yuma laughs, “Everyone put on your shoes, I’m posting a picture of us in our new kicks on Instagram, maybe Nike will see it!”

As far as Yuma knows, the chain never acknowledges her picture, but she doesn’t care—she and her friends look awesome anyway.

 

* * *

 

 

Mori-san hands Chris his copy of the paperwork. “And now, Mr. Arclight, if you will please sign here…”

Yuma has to keep pinching herself so she won’t laugh. The funniest part of all this is that Chris is posing as Byron Arclight, because Byron doesn’t look like a middle-aged man, and he certainly doesn’t look old enough to settle a lawsuit.

Yuma’s battle with the city of Heartland is ongoing, but she’s settled with Faker and the Arclights. They’re giving her money, enough that even if Faker wasn’t paying her college tuition, she could go anywhere she wants and travel the world two times over. Plus Thomas has to stay away from her for six months, at which time she’ll reconsider based on how he’s done at keeping his promises—that he’ll take anger management classes, publically renounce his title as Asia’s duel champion, and admit he set Ryoga up to cheat.

After Chris signs the paperwork and the check that he’s giving Yuma, it’s time for Yuma to make her appearance at the WDC press conference. After all, everyone wants to know what will become of Yuma’s wish, now that Heartland is missing and disgraced.

Dr. Faker is the one who hosts the conference, introducing himself as Mr. Heartland’s estate manager—which, it turns out, is true.

“As per Tsukumo Yuma’s wish,” Faker announces to the waiting press, “Mr. Heartland’s estate, now seized by the city, will be used to fund recovery programs for victims of sexual assault. Those who were victims of Mr. Heartland will be compensated, though we understand that no amount of money can make up for their trauma, we hope that they will be able to get the resources they need to heal. Heartland City will continue to be a place for the sick and underprivileged, but we will take time to reflect on our mistakes, and we will train employees and work with law enforcement to ensure that all those who come into our city parks and hospitals will be safe. In addition, we support the Mayor’s proposal to vote on renaming Heartland City. Now, I will introduce Ms. Tsukumo.”

The press applaud. Yuma’s wearing the dress she wore to the WDC ball, but this time she’s wearing heels, so it takes all her concentration not to trip. She steps up to the podium and looks out at the people that are staring at her.

“Good afternoon,” Yuma says. “This is pretty surreal to me. I certainly didn’t think that by entering the WDC, I would end up changing the fabric of our city. I hoped I would, but to see it actually happen? It’s amazing. But being part of the carnival…it left me with a sour taste in mouth. Every time I had to look at Mr. Heartland, I wanted to punch something. I wasn’t a victim of his, but it turns out, there’s a population of our city that I got to know very well, a population that has long been silenced. You may know them as delinquents, and many of them are, but many of them are also the product of a society that gives too much power to one person. I got to know some of these people in a part of our city that few go to, but where nearly everyone knows what Mr. Heartland is. It struck me as…horrendous, really, that so many people could know something about a man, and that man was still in a position of power. I know there will be people who will refuse to believe that Mr. Heartland was a predator, but as for me, I believe my friends. I looked into their eyes and saw the horror of what happened to them, and when I had a chance to change it, I took it. I hope that by starting this fund, victims will feel encouraged to seek treatment. To them I say this—what happened was not your fault. You were hurt by someone much bigger and stronger than you, but he has no power over you anymore.”

She thanks the press for their time and leaves. As soon as she’s out of the room, she gets a text—it’s from Kite.

_‘Labyrinth references, really?’_

Yuma grins and texts back, _‘Would I be me if I didn’t?’_

Akari drives Yuma home. “I’m proud of you, kiddo,” she says, patting Yuma’s knee.

“I’m proud of you, too,” Yuma says, grinning at her sister. “After all, it was your brilliant writing that helped start this charge.”

Akari smiles. “I got another email from a survivor who wants to talk to me. You know how many newspapers and magazines want to publish these interviews?”

Yuma can’t help but feel proud. It’s uncommon for victims to want to only work with a writer rather than a paper, especially a freelance writer, but they liked how Akari handled the situation.

“But you want to keep being freelance?” Yuma asks.

Akari nods, “Yeah, once you go with one paper you lose freedom to write about what you wanna write.” She looks at her phone. “What time is your flight?”

Yuma rolls her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m packed and I have plenty of time.” She elbows her way past her sister into the house and kicks her shoes off.

“Hey, I worry about you, okay?” Akari says, reaching over to ruffle Yuma’s hair. “It’s not every day you fly abroad on your own, after all.”

Yuma grins and races up the stairs. “I just have a few more things to pack,” she calls down.

She’s going to be joining Rio and Ryoga in Florida for a few days—they left for Disney World a few days ago, and Yuma couldn’t join them right away, but she doesn’t mind, they deserve some time to themselves. Luckily, the trip coincides with a school holiday. Ryoga missed some days, but his record is cleaner than Yuma’s.

Astral pops up as Yuma finishes changing. “What is Florida like?” he asks.

“Hot,” Yuma answers. “But it’s not humid right now, thankfully. And wait until you go on the airplane.” She suddenly pauses. “I hope the key doesn’t set off any alarms, seeing as there’s a whole ship in it!”

 

* * *

 

Yuma arrives in Orlando safe and sound, if a little tired. The Key didn’t set off any alarms, and the plane landed safely. She hops on a Disney bus that takes her straight to the hotel, and once she gets to the hotel…

“Yuma!” Rio squeals.

Yuma races up to her best friend and hugs her so tightly, she lifts Rio off her feet. Not hard, since Rio is still so thin!

“Have you been eating?!” Yuma cries, grabbing Rio’s ribs and tickling her.

“I haven’t stopped!” Rio insists, squirming away from Yuma.

“It’s true,” Ryoga says as he joins the pair, “She’s constantly eating.”

Yuma kisses Ryoga’s cheek and hugs him. Astral pops up and waves to them.

Rio smiles. “Hi, Astral,” she says softly. “It’s good to see you.”

“Good to be seen,” Astral says.

“Have you two been enjoying yourselves?” Yuma asks.

Rio’s eyes sparkle behind her glasses—tinted to protect them from the light. “Oh Yuma, it’s absolutely amazing! Crowded, but amazing! We’ve been taking our time, I have a wheelchair that I use since I get tired, or I walk with a cane, but Ryoga has to keep reminding me to take it easy, there’s just so much to do!”

Ryoga gives her an exasperated, but fond look. “I wonder how smart it was to take a coma-recovery patient to Disney world.”

Rio folds her arms and pouts. “The doctor said I’ll be fine!”

“If you take it easy,” Ryoga says.

Rio shakes her head. “Well, I’m taking it easy today! Now come on Yuma, let’s get you checked in so we can go swimming!”

Ryoga’s English is much better than Yuma’s, and Rio’s is surprisingly good considering she hasn’t used it in, well, over a year. Once Yuma is checked in, they do just as Rio suggested—they go swimming!

The pool is fantastic, Yuma catches Astral diving into the water and he even goes down the water slide with her. It’s amazing, being able to be with Rio and Ryoga again, doing what they always wanted to do. They went to Tokyo Disney so many times when they were kids, and now they’re finally at the largest Disney park in the world. And to top it all off, Astral is here, too. Yuma is too happy for words.

“We saw your speech,” Rio says later, as they eat dinner. “You were very eloquent.”

Ryoga nods. “We were proud of you.”

Rio leans in to Yuma and grins at her. “So, how’s the settlement going?”

Yuma rolls her eyes. “The city’s lawyer couldn’t drag his feet more if I put cinderblocks on them. But the Arclights made sure I’ll have enough to support myself on this trip and more importantly, Thomas Arclight has agreed to stay the hell away from the pro-duel circuit.” She takes a bite of her hamburger and then sneakily holds it to the side so Astral can try it.

“Thank god!” Ryoga cries. “He’s staying the hell away from Rio, too.”

“You know, I still don’t remember the actual explosion,” Rio says. “But I do remember that he scared me before we started the duel. He used that duel-anchor thing, too.”

“Uh-oh,” Yuma says, looking at Ryoga’s face, “He’s going to fly home and punch Thomas in the face.” She holds up a french fry and Astral takes half of it in one bite.

“Yuma already got him good,” Rio says, nudging Ryoga’s shoulder. “Enough talk of that, let’s finish dinner and go back in the pool!”

That sounds like a wonderful plan.

 

* * *

 

 

The vacation passes by too quickly, even though they take their time enjoying the days they have. When they’re not enjoying the theme parks, they talk. Yuma and Ryoga have filled Rio in on the big events of the year that she missed, but the smaller things come out, as well. Things Astral did or said that Yuma thought was cute, news articles that Ryoga found interesting, and that sort of thing. But the most important thing that comes from the vacation is Rio and Yuma’s new movie obsession.

_“See the where the sky meets the sea, it calls me!”_

_“And no one knows, how far it goes!”_

Ryoga groans and grabs Akari’s arm. “They’ve been singing it all week!”

Akari laughs as she loads Yuma and Rio’s bags into the back of her car. “Yuma told me about it. Moana, right? I can’t wait to see it tonight.”

“I mean it’s a great movie,” Ryoga says, “But when you hear it over and over and over…”

“Is it replacing Labyrinth?” Akari asks.

Rio gasps, “No! Nothing could ever replace Labyrinth! But Moana is like…it’s just amazing!”

They tell Akari all about their trip on the drive to Rio and Ryoga’s apartment. Sayaka meets them downstairs and welcomes the twins home with hugs and kisses. Yuma and Akari help them get their things upstairs, and Yuma gives them each a hug goodbye—though, it’s not goodbye for long.

“You ready for school in two days?”  Yuma asks Rio as she hugs her. She has to go back tomorrow, but Rio needs a day to recover.

“I’m excited!” Rio says, “It’ll be just like old times!”

“Nerd,” Yuma teases, but she’s just as excited. It’ll be so much fun!

 

**Author's Note:**

> I've been updating on Wednesday and Saturday lately, but I think I might skip at least Wednesday next week. I have a lot in Zexal II that I want to redo, so I want to make sure I have a good idea of where I'm taking it before I start posting. So I leave you here, on good thoughts, until then!


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